Real Wolf of Wall Street, Jordan Belfort, Eying Reality Show After Forfeiting 100% of His Film Profits to Government

Like most people who have gained some semblance of controversial relevancy these days, Jordan Belfort—the former stock market swindler now immortalized in Martin Scorsese’sThe Wolf of Wall Street—is shopping a reality show. The Hollywood Reporterscoops that Belfort has teamed up with Electus CEO Chris Grant to pitch “an uplifting show that sees Belfort, now 51, stepping in to help others who, like him, have hit rock bottom but still hold out some hope for redemption.” Translation: this series, if sold, will not feature any of the lude-lubricated antics featuring yachts, helicopters, prostitutes, and reckless immorality that Scorsese’s film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Belfort, featured. It could, however, feature the reformed Wolf of Wall Street unraveling his epic yarns as cautionary tales. Grant confirms that he and Belfort have already met with several networks about the project.

Lest you worry that Belfort is profiting too much from this wave of Wolf of Wall Streetinterest, the former financier took to his Facebook page yesterday to clarify that he is not making any money off of his books or the feature from Paramount, which has already earned over $34 million domestically.

For the record, I am not turning over 50% of the profits of the books and the movie, which was what the government had wanted me to do. Instead, I insisted on turning over 100% of the profits of both books and the movie, which is to say, I am not making a single dime on any of this. This should amount to countless millions of dollars and hopefully be more than enough to pay back anyone who is still out there. I thought this was already public information, as I have already said it publicly numerous times, but apparently there is so much NOISE right now that it has gotten lost in the shuffle. So, again, for the record: I am not making any royalties off the film or the books, and I am totally content with that. My income comes from a new life, which is far better than my old one. (Although I will admit the Quaaludes were kind of fun, at least in the beginning. Thankfully, they’re illegal! and impossible to find!)

The claim is repeated in a New York Magazineprofile of Belfort, which reveals that the author, now working as a motivational speaker based out of Manhattan Beach, California, has managed to hold onto some threads of his fabled former luxury. Among the revelations: Belfort lives in an oceanfront mini-mansion, drives a Mercedes SL, employs two blonde female assistants, commands a five-figure rate for speeches, and has done “really well” with his investments—in the mining industry especially—after spending time in jail and cooperating with the government. Perhaps most interestingly though, Belfort still meets somewhat regularly with Greg Coleman, the FBI special agent who made a case against Belfort, for dinner. “He tells a good story,” Coleman concedes of his one-time target, before hinting at some sense of respect for the white collar criminal’s abilities. “Admiration would be the wrong word, but from the perspective of manipulating the market, he’s one of the best there is.”